Can you remember this verse?
‘…that IF THOU SHALT CONFESS WITH THY MOUTH THE LORD JESUS, and shalt BELIEVE IN THINE HEART that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED…’ (Romans 10:9)
This verse is one of the most popular verses of the Bible but I realized most people who quote this have virtually no idea why this verse was put in the Bible! This is why after people use this verse for ‘altar calls’ …they still end up teaching the new converts that salvation is by DOING…and not just by ‘confessing and believing’ as shown in the above verse!
Listen: when a ‘text’ is brought out of its ‘context’, then the ‘text’ becomes a ‘pretext’ for wrong doctrines! So if you don’t mind, can we have a quick Bible study on the 10th chapter of the book of Romans as we study this verse in CONTEXT? Alright, pay close attention and enjoy this sweet word of Grace.
Romans 10:5… ‘… For Moses describeth the RIGHTEOUSNESS which is of the LAW, That the man which DOETH those things shall live by them…’
So there is a kind of ‘righteousness’ called: ‘… RIGHTEOUSNESS which is of the LAW…’ From the Scripture above, this ‘righteousness’ was described by Moses as a DOING righteousness! ‘… For Moses describeth the RIGHTEOUSNESS which is of the LAW, That the man which DOETH those things shall live by them…’ Before I continue on Romans 10, can we just quickly visit the Old Testament and check where Moses actually described this ‘righteousness which is of the Law’?
Deuteronomy 30:11-12: ‘…For this COMMANDMENT which I command thee this day, …It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, WHO SHALL GO UP FOR US TO HEAVEN, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and DO it?
Can you see how Moses ‘described’ the Law? He made it look so real to the Israelites so much that they are to ‘almost’ look for someone who will GO TO HEAVEN and bring it to them! Why? ‘…that we may hear it, and DO it?’ It was all about DOING! That was how the LAW was described! It’s all about DOING! It’s about things you must DO or NOT if you must be saved or accepted of God!
In fact Moses continued by saying:
‘…But the WORD IS VERY NIGH unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou MAYEST DO IT…’ (Deut. 30:14)
Now see this: although the LAW was VERY NEAR to their mouths, it was not for ‘confessing’! It was for DOING! ‘…that thou MAYEST DO IT…’ Now let’s get back to Romans 10.
After Paul quoted vs 5 which we have seen on how Moses describes the ‘righteousness of the Law’…see what the next verse reads:
‘… But the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF FAITH speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, WHO SHALL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?…’ (Romans 10:6)
Are you noticing what’s going on here? Did you see Paul now ‘describing’ a new kind of righteousness called…’righteousness which is of Faith’…and how he is using same words Moses used…’say not, who shall ascend into heaven’? But that verse did not end there! This is the full verse:
‘… But the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF FAITH speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, TO BRING CHRIST DOWN FROM ABOVE:)’ (Romans 10:6)
Oh! What did you notice? As for Moses, it was about bringing down the COMMANDMENTS! But as for Paul, it was about bringing down CHRIST! Now something has changed! Christ REPLACED the Commandments! Now see the next verse:
‘… But what saith it? THE WORD IS NIGH THEE, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, THE WORD OF FAITH..’ (Romans 10:8)
Are you seeing this? Paul is using the same writing style as Moses on this subject…but he is carefully CHANGING some vital things! In that of the Law, Moses said:
‘…But the WORD IS VERY NIGH unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou MAYEST DO IT…’ (Deut 30:14)
But in that of Grace, Paul said:
‘…THE WORD IS NIGH THEE, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, THE WORD OF FAITH, …that IF THOU SHALT CONFESS WITH THY MOUTH THE LORD JESUS, and shalt BELIEVE IN THINE HEART that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED…’ (Romans 10:8-9)
Wow! Did you see this!? That was what brought this VERSE into the Bible! It was to prove beyond any doubt that salvation is only by FAITH and not by DOING! Instead of saying…the word is nigh thee for you to DO (like Moses said), this verse states…the word is nigh thee that you should CONFESS AND BELIEVE in Jesus’ finished work for you! And thou shall be SAVED!!! Glory to Jesus!
So it is very ‘improper’ and ‘absurd’ to quote this verse to ‘sinners’ and then tell them their Salvation is up to them based on what they DO and don’t DO! That is the righteousness of the LAW! It means you are yet to see that CHRIST replaced the COMMANDMENTS!
Listen: Grace does NOT help you to ‘fulfil’ the Law! Rather, Grace REPLACED the Law!
‘…For if that FIRST covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the SECOND…’ (Heb 8:7)
Glory to Jesus! Let me conclude this post by quoting the 4th verse of this same Romans 10.
‘… For CHRIST is the END OF THE LAW for righteousness TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH…’ (Romans 10:4)
Wow! This is the Gospel! Salvation is not of works! But totally of Grace! It is simply by believing in Jesus finished work (death, burial, resurrection and ascension) for you! Stop describing the righteousness of ‘Faith’ as the righteousness of the ‘Law’! One is all about DOING! And the other is all about BELIEVING! Therefore BELIEVE and you shall be SAVED!!! Hallelujah!
I really hope you enjoyed this exciting study on Romans chapter 10. Remain addictively under Grace. Amen.
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